Re: Why is there no natural syntax for accessing attributes with names not being valid identifiers?

Path	csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!weretis.net!feeder1.news.weretis.net!feeder.erje.net!eu.feeder.erje.net!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed2.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail
Return-Path	<ethan@stoneleaf.us>
X-Original-To	python-list@python.org
Delivered-To	python-list@mail.python.org
X-Spam-Status	OK 0.002
X-Spam-Evidence	'H': 1.00; 'S': 0.00; 'subject:not': 0.03; 'attribute': 0.07; 'indexing': 0.07; 'from:addr:ethan': 0.09; 'from:addr:stoneleaf.us': 0.09; 'from:name:ethan furman': 0.09; 'identifier': 0.09; 'message-id:@stoneleaf.us': 0.09; 'subject:Why': 0.09; '~ethan~': 0.09; "'-'": 0.16; "(i'm": 0.16; 'behave': 0.16; 'brackets': 0.16; 'identifier.': 0.16; 'notation': 0.16; 'quoted': 0.16; 'subject: \n ': 0.16; 'subject:accessing': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'implementing': 0.19; 'mechanism': 0.19; 'seems': 0.21; 'saying': 0.22; 'header:User-Agent:1': 0.23; 'string,': 0.24; 'decide': 0.24; 'looks': 0.24; 'values': 0.27; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.27; 'am,': 0.29; 'along': 0.30; 'work.': 0.31; 'writes:': 0.31; 'not.': 0.33; 'could': 0.34; 'subject:with': 0.35; "can't": 0.35; 'classes': 0.35; 'but': 0.35; 'charset:us-ascii': 0.36; 'possible': 0.36; 'subject:?': 0.36; 'should': 0.36; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'how': 0.40; 'even': 0.60; 'access,': 0.60; 'no.': 0.61; 'received:173': 0.61; 'simple': 0.61; 'name': 0.63; 'provide': 0.64; 'received:69.56': 0.68; 'subject:there': 0.68; 'subject:being': 0.84; 'technically': 0.84; 'rusi': 0.91
Date	Wed, 04 Dec 2013 07:56:13 -0800
From	Ethan Furman <ethan@stoneleaf.us>
User-Agent	Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:16.0) Gecko/20121010 Thunderbird/16.0.1
MIME-Version	1.0
To	python-list@python.org
Subject	Re: Why is there no natural syntax for accessing attributes with names not being valid identifiers?
References	<15912943-29a1-4365-b027-7bb8cec447f8@googlegroups.com> <mailman.3527.1386093834.18130.python-list@python.org> <eb15e1a8-49b1-4d55-a864-141efc65394e@googlegroups.com> <17gt99hg615jfm7bdid26185884d2pfdkf@4ax.com> <080d6a56-588b-425f-8968-8f77bc330427@googlegroups.com> <mailman.3546.1386147492.18130.python-list@python.org> <549180f1-fb98-4b59-b92f-5beceb1a6fb5@googlegroups.com> <qotzjogonup.fsf@ruuvi.it.helsinki.fi>
In-Reply-To	<qotzjogonup.fsf@ruuvi.it.helsinki.fi>
Content-Type	text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding	7bit
X-AntiAbuse	This header was added to track abuse, please include it with any abuse report
X-AntiAbuse	Primary Hostname - gator3304.hostgator.com
X-AntiAbuse	Original Domain - python.org
X-AntiAbuse	Originator/Caller UID/GID - [47 12] / [47 12]
X-AntiAbuse	Sender Address Domain - stoneleaf.us
X-BWhitelist	no
X-Source-IP	173.12.184.233
X-Source
X-Source-Args
X-Source-Dir
X-Source-Sender	([173.12.184.233]) [173.12.184.233]:40336
X-Source-Auth	ethan+stoneleaf.us
X-Email-Count	1
X-Source-Cap	dG9idWs7dG9idWs7Z2F0b3IzMzA0Lmhvc3RnYXRvci5jb20=
X-BeenThere	python-list@python.org
X-Mailman-Version	2.1.15
Precedence	list
List-Id	General discussion list for the Python programming language <python-list.python.org>
List-Unsubscribe	<https://mail.python.org/mailman/options/python-list>, <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive	<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/>
List-Post	<mailto:python-list@python.org>
List-Help	<mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe	<https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list>, <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=subscribe>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.python
Message-ID	<mailman.3581.1386175350.18130.python-list@python.org> (permalink)
Lines	20
NNTP-Posting-Host	2001:888:2000:d::a6
X-Trace	1386175350 news.xs4all.nl 2931 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:44989
X-Complaints-To	abuse@xs4all.nl
Xref	csiph.com comp.lang.python:61042

Show key headers only | View raw

On 12/04/2013 03:30 AM, Jussi Piitulainen wrote:
> rusi writes:
>>
>> How do we decide which '-' are valid identifier components --
>> hyphens and which minus-signs?
>
> I think the OP might be after the JavaScript mechanism where an
> attribute name can be any string, the indexing brackets are always
> available, and the dot notation is available when the attribute name
> looks like a simple identifier. That could be made to work. (I'm not
> saying should, or should not. Just that it seems technically simple.)
>
> Hm. Can't specific classes be made to behave this way even now by
> implementing suitable underscored methods?

No.  It is possible to provide attribute access along with key access, but not currently possible to provide attribute 
access with quoted values -- which is what the OP wants.

--
~Ethan~

Thread

csiph-web